Friday, November 30, 2012

Last week I asked my colleagues to identify themselves with a cartoon character and some of them obliged. It was very easy for them to pick one. I think Bugs Bunny is the perfect character to represent me because of his can-do attitude, snarkiness and big smile. Nate is very well represented by Superman because he likes taking on the big challenges. Valentin is represented by the chameleon Rango because he can change to any color. And Kyle is Batman, the strong silent crusader.

I know you have to adapt yourself for your customers. As I said last week, some of them are white ships, others are black ships, some of them are good, some of them are not as good as you expected.

In your effort to keep all of your customers you might want to consider one thing. DON'T ADAPT! BE YOURSELF! Let others find in you a very strong character that appeals to them. People buy from local businesses because of the "character" in them and running them. They are buying from YOU.

Make your logo, your service, your product or your name one that others want to be associated with. Make your business more about you and your character!

Thursday, November 29, 2012

It's hard to believe Facebook has been around since 2004. Twitter began in 2006. LinkedIn launched way back in 2003! The whole social media and marketing conundrum is driving local businesses bonkers. Which ones should I have? What do I do with it?

Social media is a powerful marketing tool. It further extends everything you do into the public eye. For local businesses, it reaches far more consumers than your sign out front. There are one billion Facebook users. That's one seventh of the world's population.

According to Harrison Painter, director of business development for BLASTmedia, most companies view social media as either a waste of time or the solution to their marketing problem. If it is going to be a solution and worth your time, education and commitment is the key. Here's something for you to look at as a handy point of reference. CMO.com, along with SEO firm 97th Floor, have created a chart showing which social networks are best for various marketing goals.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Restaurants are still #1 when it comes to local search with the biggest gainer being Family Services, up 164%. In fact across multiple devices (cell phone, tablet) Restaurants are the most saught after business locally.

Mobile local search is growing very rapidly and will conitnue to have a major impact on consumers decision making.

Check out all fo the results at http://searchengineland.com/yp-restaurants-remains-top-local-search-heading-medical-the-top-spending-ad-category-126699

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Amidst our daily lives rests certain occasions where we reflect on ourselves, our current situation and how that compares to what we really want in life. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time because it is an entire day to bask in our thanks for what we have, now, that is important to us: family, friends, FOOD, shelter and everything that allows us to be who we are.

What are you thankful for? I believe all of us have something that brings us happiness. To me, being thankful is truly appreciating the existence of whatever it is that makes you happy; without it, your life would be less joyful. Identify these things and think about what it would be like without it. We all have plenty to be thankful for.

We, at EggZack, would like to say "Happy Thanksgiving". We hope your day (and stomach) is filled with delicious food and all the people and things that are most important to you.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Recently we spoke about how you can make business fun and it appears that many people like this subject.

While running a business, you face different types of people and situations which can sometimes be no fun!

Dealing with all fo the types of customers reminds me of an old joke.

There is a joke about a shepherd.

A TV reporter who came to visit him and asked:

- Hello mister shepherd. Nice sheeps!

- Thank you, mister stick with cord!

- They look good! Which one is good for milk?

- The white sheeps!

- What about the black sheeps?

- They are good for milk, too!

- And the wool, Which one is good for wool?

- The white sheeps!

- What about the black sheeps?

- They are good for wool, too!

- And for the meat?

- The white sheeps!

- What about the black sheeps?

- They are good for meat, too!

- Well, you allways speak first about the white sheeps. Why?

- Well, the white sheeps are mine.

- What about the black sheeps?

- They are mine, too!

Point of this joke is that you have different types of customers, good customers and no so good customers too, yet they are all your customers.They all matter so try to realize they are different adn anticipate theri diffrences, it will help you enjoy the ride. Hold on to them for as long as you possibly can!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

On top of all the things you do daily, you need to find time to market your business and NOW you have to get on board with social media. When will it stop? Unfortunately, it won't.

When a new social media platform comes out, it isn't apparent how it will impact business. Facebook has blown us all away; it has become a virtual representation of everything under the sun. Even pets and stuffed animals have Facebook pages. So, why is Facebook important to your business???

To properly market your business, you have to be visible where people are. Observe the conventional methods... a billboard in high-commuting areas, a radio ad during rush hour or a prime-time television ad; you're making yourself visible to the most people you can in a set period of time. The internet is no different! Facebook recently hit one billion users.

You personally may not like or use Facebook, or other social media, in general, yet think of it this way… one billion people have access to what you do, who you are, where you do business, and what you're all about. You may spend hundreds or thousands of dollars in advertising where Facebook is free and can do the same thing!

This is not about Facebook. It's about you and promoting your business to the best of your ability.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Bakery.com and EggZack have partnered to help integrate the baking supply chain drive more local sales to local bakeries. EggZack CEO, Jon Zack is seen here with John Stricker, CEO of Bakery.com, Sergio Caballero of FoodTools and Deb Blaylok of BEMA celebrating the kick off.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Nowadays, search engines are rewarding those who publish content regularly. Meaning, the more you publish, and the more relevant your content is to your business, the higher your business will rank with search engines. This is a very important piece to your marketing puzzle.

Sometimes, publishing content after a long day (or many long days) of work can feel like being strapped to the whipping post. How many lashings until you're done? But, posting regularly online is what will drive your business to the top of search engines. Make it fun! You can publish anything. Post pictures of a recent event. Post information about a new product or service. Your customers like to know what you're doing and all consumers like to learn of a new place to eat or purchase from, locally. Technology is making this easier and easier for us.

Turn your whipping post into a posting post; a place where publishing information about your business isn't painful. Create enjoyment when promoting your business online. It does take some time and effort, but it really works! These tactics will increase your visibility and direct more consumers to your business.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

In the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy, I was out of power, heat and water at home for 7 days. The thing I missed the most was my hot, morning shower. It's a part of my normal routine and psyche, without it life felt weird, disorganized, NOT normal. It also got me thinking about how a local business affects a person's normal routine and how they could take advantage of customer routine.

We thrive on our own normalcy or routine so we can better cope with the chaos that life throws at us. A local business can gain a huge competitive advantage by becoming a part of that normalcy by creating regular customers.

Regular customers may buy daily, weekly, monthly, or even quarterly, the point is that they buy with someregularfrequency. The key to gaining more regular customers is to identify what products or services you provide that they can use regularly and then focus on gaining their "regular" business with them. Good communication is also key in attracting and keeping regular customers. Providing them with special services or information is also another way to make them want to become regular customers.

Regular customers are more loyal, less price sensitive and less likely to shop elsewhere when your business is a part of their normal.

The main reason customers become regulars is that you are making their life easier or better, figure out how and you will have more regular customers, and a healthier business.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Hello, my name is Valentine, and I was born in Eastern Europe with four hands and a hidden extra-eye. Before I was one year old, the communists robbed me of my extra-hands and were unable to find my hidden eye. This eye gives me super-powers to fight against the forces of evil, sadness and boredom. Instead of searching for the robbers of my extra-hands, I joined the EggZack team as product manager to build the most powerful weapon against the horrible experience of nothingness.

WE MAKE IT FUN!

Perhaps I should back up and explain what I mean by fun.

I am not suggesting you turn your product into a joke (unless, of course, your client is a joker).

I am simply suggesting to make changes that add a bit of fun into the interactions or elements of a design.

I encourage you to create more enjoyable tools, graphics or elements for your customers

Fun is not "silly. Fun is memorable.

The trick is knowing how much fun to add, where is the best to add it, and when to recognize that you've gone too far.

I am sure that there is room for fun in a bank website and for seriousness in a game website.

It is good to allow the users to personalize their experience and help to remember what they to make it their own.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett and Bethlehem, PA Mayor John Callahan paid a recent visit to Ben Franklin Tech Center and spent some time with EggZack's Founder & CEO Jon Zack to discuss tech start ups and entrepreneurship. The Governor and Mayor are big supporters of the local tech scene in Behtlhem, PA. The visit was sparked by Lehigh University's recent acheivement of top 25 university in the US.